Victron Multiplus 12/1600/70 problem

[wizzer]

Hi all
I have a Victron Multiplus 12/1600/70 on my Seaward 25
I've always been a little baffled by its apparent complication in operation.
When shore power is connected, the charger will not come on unless the starboard battery bank switch is turned on. I gather that this is because the Victron unit needs to sense a current before it will start charging. I find this rather impractical as I always like to turn off all the boat's 12v systems when leaving the boat on the marina, with just the charger operating to keep the batteries optimised. Now, the charger doesn't come on at all, even with the starboard bank switch turned on. The inverter function still apparently works.
The unit is controlled by a Phoenix Multi Control remote switch panel.
The user & installation manuals leave me a little cold too - the installation wiring diagrams are not clear at all.
I'm on the verge of taking the unit out & sending it off for bench testing. Any ideas would be welcomed. Cheers.

 

[pvb]

Are you sure it's correctly installed?

 

[wizzer]

Well, a good question. It was installed by Seaward themselves when the boat was built in 2005 in Cowes, I would therefore assume that it is indeed installed correctly. It is worthy of note that the original owner did not use the boat hardly at all. When I got the boat last Autumn, I asked him about the shorepower system & he replied that he had never used it.

 

[Daverw]

By turned on do you mean the isolator to the battery or power to the switch panel supply?

 

[wizzer]

The starboard batteries need to be turned on at the battery switch

 

[RichardS]

Your Victron looks very similar to mine, except that mine has an ammeter on the front.

The cables that go into the bottom of mine ...... +ve to house bank +ve, +ve to stb starter battery positive, +ve to port starter battery +ve, common -ve ...... go directly to the batteries and do not go through any of the battery switches. The charger outputs are therefore permanently connected to all the batteries.

Can you re-work the wiring on yours in a similar way?

Richard

 

[Daverw]

Is it possible that the charger is the wrong side of the battery switch?

 

[pvb]

Well, a good question. It was installed by Seaward themselves when the boat was built in 2005 in Cowes, I would therefore assume that it is indeed installed correctly. It is worthy of note that the original owner did not use the boat hardly at all. When I got the boat last Autumn, I asked him about the shorepower system & he replied that he had never used it.

It's therefore very likely that it's incorrectly installed. A battery charger would normally charge the batteries directly, and wouldn't need other circuits turning on.

 

[wizzer]

I've just found out that the installation manual I have with the boat is actually not the correct one. There are 2 different versions of the manual, both relating to the Victron Multiplus 12/1600/70, mine seems to be the later model & the wiring diagrams in the back of the manual now actually make sense, so I can now check the installation wiring to the manual

 

[VicS]

I've just found out that the installation manual I have with the boat is actually not the correct one. There are 2 different versions of the manual, both relating to the Victron Multiplus 12/1600/70, mine seems to be the later model & the wiring diagrams in the back of the manual now actually make sense, so I can now check the installation wiring to the manual

I wonder if the one I was reading as the right one or the wrong one....... gave up in the end ......0 out of 10 for KISS

 

[wizzer]

I have removed the unit from the boat today and I will be sending it off to Plymouth for bench testing when I can sort out some suitable packaging

 

[wizzer]

Update:
Victron multiplus was not operating on the charging side & it was deemed not possible to fix (by Victron - Netherlands), so, I bought a new Multiplus 12/1600/70, installed & found the control panel (see previous post) would not work with the new charger-inverter. Now I've bought a new controller, "digital multi control", which I'm at present awaiting delivery of.